page_title: 1933 Treasure Coast hurricane
section_title: Preparations and impact
hierarchical_section_title: 1933 Treasure Coast hurricane / Preparations and impact
caption_attribution_description: English: Storm of September 4-8, 1933 Maximum Total-Storm Amount Clermont, Fla.&#160;: 17.8 in
context_page_description: The 1933 Treasure Coast hurricane was the second-most intense tropical cyclone to strike the United States during the active 1933 Atlantic hurricane season. The eleventh tropical storm, fifth hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the season, it formed east-northeast of the Leeward Islands on August 31. The tropical storm moved rapidly west-northwestward, steadily intensifying to a hurricane. It acquired peak winds of 140 miles per hour and passed over portions of the Bahamas on September 3, including Eleuthera and Harbour Island, causing severe damage to crops, buildings, and infrastructure. Winds over 100 mph affected many islands in its path, especially those that encountered its center, and many wharves were ruined.
  Subsequently, it weakened and made landfall at Jupiter, Florida, early on September 4 with winds of 125 mph. The hurricane moved across the state, passing near Tampa before moving into Georgia and dissipating. In Florida, the strong winds of the cyclone blew buildings off their foundations, and numerous trees were prostrated in citrus groves.
context_section_description: On September 2, a fleet of eight aircraft evacuated all white residents from West End, Grand Bahama, to Daytona Beach, Florida. While the storm was near peak intensity on September 3, the Weather Bureau issued hurricane warnings from Miami to Melbourne, Florida, with storm warnings extending northward to Jacksonville. Later that day, storm warnings, were issued from Key West to Cedar Key. About 2,500 people evacuated by train from areas around Lake Okeechobee. By evening on September 3, high tides sent sea spray over coastal seawalls in Palm Beach County as residents boarded up buildings; structures on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach were said to be a "solid front" of plywood. Along the coast, observers reported very rough seas as the eye neared land.
  The powerful hurricane moved over or near several islands in the Bahamas. Winds on Spanish Wells and Harbour Island were both estimated at around 140 mph (225 km/h). Winds reached 110 mph (177 km/h) at Governor's Harbour, 100 mph (161 km/h) on Eleuthera, and 120 mph (193 km/h) on the Abaco Islands. The storm was farther away from Nassau, where winds reached 61 mph (98 km/h). The hurricane damaged a lumber mill on Abaco, washing away a dock. Heavy damage occurred on Harbour Island, including to several roofs, the walls of government buildings, and the water system. The hurricane destroyed four churches and 37 houses, leaving 100 people homeless. A 1.5 mi (2.4 km) road on Eleuthera was destroyed. Several islands sustained damage to farms, including the total loss of various fruit trees on Russell Island. Despite Category 4 winds on Spanish Wells, only five houses were destroyed, although most of the remaining dwellings lost their roofs. Collectively between North Point, James Cistern, and Gregory Town on Eleuthera, the storm destroyed 55 houses and damaged many others. On Grand Bahama, where a 9 to 12 ft (2.7 to 3.7 m) storm surge was reported, half of the houses were destroyed, as were 13 boats and two planes, and most docks were wrecked.
  When the storm moved ashore in Florida, winds reached an estimated 125 mph (201 km/h) in Jupiter; these occurred after the eye passed. In West Palm Beach, anemometers measured at least 80-mile-per-hour (129 km/h) winds with gusts to 100 mph (161 km/h); barometers ranged from 28.64 to 28.78 inHg (970 to 975 mb). The storm produced the strongest winds in the city since the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. Winds were not as strong farther from the center; 40 to 45 mph (64 to 72 km/h) winds were observed in Miami to the south, Titusville to the north, and Tampa on the west coast. Fort Pierce estimated peak winds of 80 to 90 mph (129 to 145 km/h), and pressures dipped to 29.14 inHg (987 mb). Inland, winds near Lake Okeechobee peaked at only 60 mph (97 km/h). The hurricane dropped heavy rainfall along its path, peaking at 17.8 in (450 mm) in Clermont.
  At West Palm Beach, the majority of the damage was confined to vegetation. Several coconut and royal palms that withstood the 1928 hurricane snapped, littering streets with broken trunks. Winds downed road signs on many streets, and floodwaters covered the greens on a local golf course. Some garages and isolated structures, mostly lightweight, were partly or totally destroyed, along with a lumber warehouse. Some homes that lost roofing shingles had water damage to their interiors as well. Nearby Lake Worth sustained extensive breakage of windows, including plate glass, and loss of tile and shingle roofing, but preparations reduced losses to just several thousand dollars, and no post-storm accidents took place. Strong winds snapped many light poles in the city, and trees and shrubs were broken or uprooted. As in Lake Worth, officials in West Palm Beach credited preparations and stringent building codes with reducing overall damage. The city had learned from previous experience with severe storms in 1926, 1928, and 1929. High tides eroded Ocean Boulevard at several spots and disrupted access to several bridges on the Lake Worth Lagoon. Winter estates and hotels on Palm Beach generally sustained little ma
caption: Rainfall map for the hurricane in the southeastern United States
exif: {}